Andeew leiok



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WASHING- MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,873, dated June 26, 1866; antedated May 14, I866.

To all 'whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW IRioN, of Femme Osage, in the county of St. Charles and VState of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement inWashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accom panyin gdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a plan of the improved machine. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3-is a transverse section through one of the rubbers.

The nature of this invention consists in employing a series of rubbers working within a tray, tub, or box from opposite sides of the i. same, so as to thoroughly rub, press, and

squeeze the clothes to be washed in such a manner as to remove the dirt therefromwithout injury to the fabric. The said rubbers being arranged in pairs, each pair of them is actuated by cranks' on shafts on opposite sides of the machine, and the said cranks are so arranged on the shafts that two contiguouspairs of rubbers will not advance and recede at the same time, but at periodic intervals, so as to further increase the agitating effect of the rubbers upon the clothes.

A is a box or tray into which the clothes are placed to he washed. Although it may be made in other forms, the one shown in the sectional drawing, Fig. 3, is considered the best. It consists of two straight bottom pieces, a, which are fastened together water-tight at the joint o', thc faces of the two pieces forming an angle with each other more or less acute, usually about ninety degrees. There are side pieces, a2, fastened to the upper edges of the pieces a, perpendicular to the latter, and projectin g inward and upward from them, thereby contracting the inclosed area more at the top than at the middle of the box. The end pieces, a3, fastened to either end of the bottom and side pieces, complete the box or tray, which is closed by the cover c4.

A fly-wheel, B, provided with a crank, b, for turning it, is placed on the driving-shaft c,

which nds its bearings in one end of thc box A, and a post erected outside of and connected with the same for this purpose. Besides the fly-wheel B, there is a driving-wheel, O, on the shaft c. The wheel O gears into and communicates motion to the two counter-wheels C', which are placed upon the outer ends of the crank-shafts D.

There are two or more cranks, d, upon each of the shafts D, thesaid cranks being so arranged that no two of them are placed upon the same side of the shaft to which they belong. By this arrangement each of the cranks, as they revolve, will pass a given point in succession.

There is a'connecting-rod, E, attached to each of the cranks d, from which they pass down into the box A through slots made in the side pieces, a2, for that purpose. The lower or inner ends of the connecting-rods .E connect with therubbers E', as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

A roller, e, is placed in the bottom of each of the rubbers, so as to take the weight of it and transmit it to the bottom piece, a, on which it rests and rolls back and forth as the rubber advances and recedes with the revolving crank.

The forward end of the rubber is corrugated similar to a wash-board.

A corrugated board, F, may be placed in the bottom of the tray or box to aid in rubbing the clothes.

The clothes to be washed are to be placed in the box A between the rubbers E', which are then s'et in motion by turning the crank b.

A faucet, g, should be placed in the box A, near its bottom, to let out the water when required.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1s- The combination of the wheels B C O and crank-shaft D with the rubbers E and box A, as and for the purpose set forth.

ANDREW IRION.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. WALL, GEO. B. KELLOGG. 

